GTA IV gets a virtual internet

The latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine has just hit news stands, bringing with it an in-depth preview of Rockstar's shooty-driving opus, Grand Theft Auto IV.

The most interesting tidbit is the revamped wanted level system, which now plonks a search radius on your mini-map location allowing you to play a proper game of hide-and-seek with the feds. Once you're out of the search radius your stars disappear, but as soon as you're spotted, the radius will re-center on your current location.

According to the mag, mobile phones also play a bigger part in the game, giving you access to multiplayer menus and providing your main means of navigating Liberty City.

We all love lists (especially because they're easier to type), so here's all the new info we've learnt from OXM:

  • Internet cafes play a part in the game. In one mission Nikko sends a resume over the internet to the people he's about to kill
  • A flamethrower and rocket launcher are rumored to be in the game
  • If you ride a cab, the game switches to first-person
  • You can visit the Statue of Liberty, or "Statue of Happiness"
  • 9/11 attacks will not be referenced anywhere in the game

Look for more GTA revelations in the coming weeks...

July 18, 2007